Pre-diabetes, insulin resistance, type-2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent diabetes, NIDDM), syndrome X, and dyslipidemia pose a substantial health threat to a significant portion of the population in the US and other industrialized nations.
For example, about 6.3% of all US citizens are diagnosed with diabetes, and another 5.2 million people are suspected to be undiagnosed (National diabetes fact sheet: General information and national estimates on diabetes in the United States, 2003. Rev ed. Atlanta, Ga.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004). Worse yet, about 40 percent of U.S. adults ages 40 to 74 currently satisfy the conditions for a positive diagnosis of pre-diabetes, which frequently progresses to type 2 diabetes within 10 years unless treated (Press release U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Apr. 4, 2004: Revised Definition Of Pre-Diabetes).
With respect to syndrome X (defined as a constellation of metabolic abnormalities in serum or plasma insulin/glucose level ratios, lipids, uric acid levels, vascular physiology, and coagulation factor imbalances by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists), it is estimated that about 20% of adults in the U.S. will fall within the diagnostic criteria, with a prevalence approaching 50% in the elderly (News release: American Association for Clinical Chemistry, (2004)). Similarly, a significant fraction of the U.S. population is diagnosed with dyslipidemia. For example, approximately 29% of the U.S. population are thought to require dietary intervention for high blood cholesterol (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in JAMA. 1993 Jun. 16; 269(23):3009-14).